Carton blank



Feb. 1, 1966 w. R. sAlDEL 3,232,515

CARTON BLANK Filed March 29, 1965 HMI United States Patent O 3,232,515CARTON BLANK William R. Saidel, Park Forest, lll., assigner to integralPackaging Company, Chicago Heights, Ill., a corporation of IliinoisFiied Mar. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 269,649 1 Ciaini. (Cl. 229-37) The presentinvention relates to a novel carton or box and a method and apparatusfor applying yadhesive material to cartons or other Workpieces. Whilethe method and apparatus of the present invention are particularlysuitable for applying adhesive material to portions of folding boxes orcartons formed from iiberboard, cardboard and the like, other uses willsuggest themselves.

It has heretofore been suggested to apply a hot melt or thermoplasticadhesive material to limited areas or flaps of a folding box or cartonstructure. In addition such cartons or boxes have -been stacked in a atcondition for storing or shipping and for subsequent assembly at W ichtime the adhesive material is to be reheated and activated for enablingportions of the boxes or cartons to be adhesively connected together.However, substantial difiiculties have been encountered in that thecarton or box blanks tend to stick together when they are stacked,particularly in the event that they are placed on the stack before thethermoplastic adhesive material has been suiii- Ciently cooled. Manyattempts have heretofore been made to overcome this difficulty, but suchattempts have usually resulted in the provision of relativelycomplicated and expensive machines or machines which require an undueamount of door space.

lt is an important object of the present invention to provide a novelcarton structure and a novel method and apparatus for applying adhesivematerial to articles such -as box or carton blanks eiciently and at highspeeds and in a manner which enables the blanks to be stacked almostimmediately without sticking together.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide anovel method and apparatus for applying adhesive material to articles,which method and apparatus are relatively economical and require arelatively small amount of iioor space.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a novelmethod and apparatus for applying a hot melt or thermoplastic adhesivematerial to articles in a manner such that the applied adhesive materialcools very rapidly for preventing fouling of the apparatus or stickingof the articles to each other.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description and the accompanying drawingwherein:

FIG. l is a simplified side elevational View showing an apparatusincorporating features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken generally along line 2 2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 3 3 inFIG. 2 `and showing features of the present invention in greater detail;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a carton blank especially suitable forprocessing lin accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a portion of the cartonblank showing the manner in which adhesive material is applied ingreater detail.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings wherein like parts aredesignated by the same numerals throughout the various figures, lanapparatus incorporating features of the present invention is shown insimplified form in FIGS. 1 and 2. The apparatus comprises a unit ICC 12adapted to retain a stack 14 of articles to be processed such as cartonblank 16 shown best in FIG. 4. The feeding unit 12 may be of knownconstruction and need not be shown or described in detail. It sufficesto state that the feeding unit 12 is adapted to deliver the articles orblanks 16 from the stack one at a time and in a manner such that thearticles may be conveyed along a predetermined path of travel in amanner described below in adjacent but spaced apart relationship.

The apparatus 10 also comprises a unit 18 which is adapted to apply hot-melt or thermoplastic adhesive material to articles moving continuouslyalong a predetermined straight path of travel. More specifically, theunit 1S comprises conveying means which may be in the form of opposedendless belts 20 and 22 respectively mounted on rollers 24-26 and 28-30.The endless belts are adapted to receive successive articles or blanks16 therebetween and convey the blanks in closely adjacent but spacedapart relationship along a straight line path of travel. In theembodiment shown, the endless belts are adapted to engage centralportions of the blanks as shown best in FIG. 2, which blanks includeoppositely extending end aps 32 and 34 which project laterally ofopposite sides of the belts and also of the remaining portions of theblank. Thus outer marginal portions of the aps 32 and 34 are presentedfor having adhesive material applied along strips 36 and 38 thereon aswill be described more in detail below.

In order to apply the adhesive material to the aps 32 and 34, pairs ofrollers or disks 40-42 and 44-46 are disposed at opposite sides of theconveyor belts 20 and 22. The rollers 40 and 44 are fixed on a shaft 48and the rollers 42 and 46 are tixed on a shaft 50, which shafts laredriven Iin timed relationship With each other and with the conveyorbelts 20 and 22. Any suitable drive means may be provided for drivingthe shafts and the conveyor belts, which drive means may include a motor52 having pulleys 54 and 56 fixed on its output shaft 58. An endlessbelt 6i) extends from the pulley 54 around a pulley 62. connected withthe roller 30 associated with the conveyor belt 22, and an endless belt64 extends from the pulley 56 around a pulley 66 on the shaft 48. Theshaft 5) is driven from the shaft 48 through gears 68 and 79 and theroller 26 associated with the conveyor belt 29 is driven from the roller30 through similar gears 71 and 73 on the roller shafts.

The lower most rollers 4G an-d 44 are respectively partially submergedwithin tanks 72 and 74 which contain a supply 76 of adhesive material.In the embodiment shown heating coils 7S and Si) are provided in thecontainers or tanks 72 and 74 for maintaining thermoplastic adhesivematerial in a heated and fluid condition.

In accordance with an important feature of the present invention theco-operable pairs of rollers dil-42 Iand 45s-46 are constructed anddisposed for applying the adhesive material to the strip portions 36 and3S of the articles or carton blanks in the form of a plurality of spacedapart dots 82. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 the dots 82 are small indiameter and are of substantial thickness or height. The dots 82 arespaced apart from each other a distance which is preferably at least asgreat as their diameter, and areas S4 on the surface of the stripportions 35 and 33 of the blank between the dots are maintainedsubstantially free of the adhesive material. It has been found that whenthe adhesive material is applied in this manner, the dots 32 of theadhesive material will cool almost immediately under ordinary roomtemperature and air conditions to an extent such that successive blanksmay be stacked together without sticking. In actual practice it has beenfound that the conveyor belts 20 and 22 need extend only a very shortdistance beyond the rollers before discharging the successive blanksonto a receiving and stacking conveyor 86 or other suitable receivingand stacking means. For example the conveyors 2@ and 22 need retain theblanks which are moving at high speed for only one or two feet beyondthe rollers before depositing the blanks on the stacking means.

In order to apply the adhesive material in the manner described above,the rollers 40 and 42 are constructed and arranged as shown in detail inFIG. 3. More speciiically, the peripheral surface 88 of the roller 4@ isformed with a plurality of small pockets 90 which are spacedcircumferentially and transversely of the surface 88 and which have adiameter and depth corresponding to the diameter and height of the dots2 of adhesive material. The pockets 90 are spaced apart from each otherby surface areas 92 which are substantially smooth segments of acylinder and Which correspond to the above described surface areas 84 onthe blank between the dots 32.

The roller 40 is formed from a hard unyielding material such as steeland the roller 42 is similarly formed from a hard unyielding metal orother suitable material. The peripheral surface 94 of the roller 42 issmooth and, as shown best in FIG. 3, the rollers 40 and 42 are disposedin closely spaced apart relationship such that the minimum distancebetween their peripheral surfaces S8 and 94 is less than the thicknessof the carton blank or other article 16 being processed. With thisarrangement, the blank is squeezed between the smooth surface portions92 of the peripheral surface 88 and the smooth peripheral surface 94.This causes the under surface of the blank to conform to the curvedperipheral surface 88 sufficiently completely to cover and seal eachsuccessive pocket 90. The pockets 90 are, of course, filled withadhesive material picked up from the container 72. This material ispulled from each pocket to form the dots 82 as successive portions ofeach blank pass from between the rollers as a result of adhesion to theblank and also as a result of a suction action which takes place afterthe surface of the blank has been tightly pressed against the surfaceareas 92 entirely around the successive pockets 9d. It is further to benoted that the pressure with which the blank is forced against thesurface areas 92 between the pocket causes substantially all of anyadhesive material which may be on the surface areas 92 to be squeezedout or into the pockets 90 in a manner such that no undesirable amountof the adhesive material will cling to the areas 84 of the blank betweenthe dots S2.

The rollers 44 and 46 are respectively constructed and arranged in amanner identical to the rollers 40 and 42. Therefore the rollers 44 and46 need not be described in detail.

It will be appreciated that the carton blank 16 may include a variety ofsections or panels of different sizes and arrangements. ln theembodiment shown the blank is adapted to be folded to provide arectangular box. Thus the blank includes first, second, third and fourthside panels 96, 98, 100 and 102 which are integrally connected alongscored bend lines 104, 106 and 198. A flap 110 is articulated to anouter edge of the panel 95 along a scored bend line 112 and is adaptedto be adhesively or otherwise secured to a marginal portion of the sidepanel 102. The carton blank also includes relatively short end aps114-116, 118-120, and 122-124 respectively extending from scored bendlines at opposite ends of the side panels 96, 98 and 100, which scoredbend lines provide continuous lines 126 and 128 perpendicular to thepreviously mentioned scored bend lines.

It is to be noted that the previously described end flaps 32 and 34 towhich the dots of adhesive material are applied are relatively long ascompared with the remaining end fiaps and project laterally outwardlytherefrom to facilitate the application of adhesive material thereto. In

i the embodiment shown, the end flaps 32 and 34 are adaptedsubstantially completely to cover the opposite ends of the carton or boxstructure when the blank is folded to its set-up condition.

However, it is contemplated that the flaps 32 and 34 could be shortenedwhile certain of the other end flaps could be lengthened. In otherwords, the blank is cut so that at least one portion of the end apsprojects outwardly of the remainder of the flaps at both ends of theblank and the adhesive material is applied to the outwardly projectingflap portions.

Furthermore, it is contemplated that the longer flap portions may beused for supporting and controlling the carton during filling of thecarton. For example, the carton manufacturer may fold the blank alongthe line 106 to a fiat condition, secure the flap 110 to the panel 192and then ship the blank in the flattened condition to a packer. Thepacker may then feed the blank into a processing machine having pairs ofopposed endless belts or equivalent means capable of gripping theexposed end portions of the longest ilaps which, in the embodimentshown, are the aps 32 and 34 for supporting and advancing the attenedcarton along a straight path of travel. When feeding the carton into theprocessing machine, the carton is iirst positioned so that the line 166provides the leading edge, and the processing machine includes a stopelement, shiftable finger or cam means or other suitable mechanismengageaole with the leading edge of the carton for causing the carton tounfold to an opened condition while it is still supported by its longerend flaps. Then after the carton is filled with the desired products,the end flaps are closed and secured in a known manner.

While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shownand described herein, many details may be changed without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the appended claim.

The invention is claimed as follows:

A folding one-piece carton blank comprising rst, second, third andfourth side panels articulated along substantially parallel bend lines,relatively short end flaps extending laterally from bend lines atopposite ends of said first, second and third panels, said secondmentioned bend lines being substantially perpendicular to said rstmentioned bend lines, and relatively long end flaps projecting from bendlines at opposite ends of said fourth panel laterally beyond outer endedges of said relatively short end aps, and thermoplastic adhesivematerial in an elongated strip disposed along surfaces of outer marginalportions of said relatively long end flaps, said thermoplastic adhesivematerial being in the form of a plurality of small spaced apart dots,said dots having a predetermined small diameter and a substantial heightrelative to said diameter and a generally semi-spherical configuration,said dots being spaced from each other a distance similar to saiddiameter, and said areas of said surfaces between said dots beingsubstantially free of any adhesive material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,249,089 7/ 1941Murray et al.

2,396,946 3/1946 Grupe.

2,521,989 9/1950 McPherson.

2,727,676 12/ 1955 Tilly 229-37 2,979,247 4/1961 Pellaton et al. 229-14.3,067,923 12/ 1962 Thiets 229-14 3,697,783 7/ 1962 Burt et al. 229-37JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner.

